Hidden Compass Wins Nine Solas Awards for Best Travel Stories of the Year

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hidden Compass, a women-founded media company and modern exploration society, is excited to announce nine of their stories won awards for Best Travel Story of the Year in the 17th Annual Solas Awards. The Solas Awards is an annual competition to find the best writing being done about the world today, and winners are chosen in 21 categories and published in Travelers’ Tales books.

Hidden Compass won four category gold awards, two silver, two bronze. The Grand Prize Gold went to Cherene Sherrard's story, "The Weight of Paradise," which explores surfing while Black on the beaches of Oahu, Hawaii.

Hidden Compass Co-Founder and Co-CEO Sivani Babu credits the remarkable journalists, writers, and photographers who trust Hidden Compass to send their work out into the world. She said, "There is no denying that this recognition is a testament to the quality and consistency of the storytelling our writers produce and our commitment to pushing the boundaries of the travel genre.”

Winners also include:

• Kang-Chun Cheng — TRAVEL + SPORTS GOLD for “The New Ascensionists”
• Laine Gonzales — ANIMAL ENCOUNTER GOLD for “Pteropods in the Balance”
• Lauren Napier — FAMILY TRAVEL GOLD for “Lines of Duty”
• Shoshi Parks — ADVENTURE TRAVEL GOLD for "Enduring the Promised Land"
• Amanda Castleman — CRUISE STORY SILVER for "Beyond the Lid of the World"
• Melinda Misuraca — TRAVEL MEMOIR SILVER for “Finding Valentina”
• Rebecca Deurlein — TRAVEL + HEALING BRONZE for "Only the Stones Remain"
• Megan Taylor Morrison — CULTURE + IDEAS BRONZE for "Roots in Motion"

For more information on Hidden Compass, visit https://hiddencompass.net/origins/

About Hidden Compass
Hidden Compass is an independent journalism outlet and modern exploration society transforming the way audiences participate in journalism and exploration. Co-founders Sivani Babu and Sabine K. Bergmann, who have 25 years of experience in journalism and publishing, launched Hidden Compass in 2017 as an alternative to unhealthy, clickbait-laden content – what they call “junk food media.” In 2020, the company pioneered a unique business model, leveraging patronage campaigns to increase journalists’ pay and audience participation. The following year, readership grew by more than 40 percent, and Newsweek named Hidden Compass a finalist in its Future of Travel Awards. Learn more at https://hiddencompass.net.